interesting take on 'zombie' movies

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2004)

***spoilers*** This absolutely has to be the most well thought out zombie movie that I have ever seen. It starts out in a fairly typical fashion: virus spreads and completely eliminates pretty much everyone except for a few who struggle to stay alive without a shred of actual hope (although the idea of Jim waking up without a clue is an interesting way to add some suspense/scariness to the beginning by focusing on the desolation and devastation of the disease before introducing too much gore). As with many zombie movies there are some really funny parts (I especially like when Jim hits the priest who is trying to eat him and then profusely apologizes while running away). However, what makes this movie really interesting, and sets it apart from many other movies of the same genre, is the seed of hope that exists due to the disease only spreading on an island rather than definitely affecting the whole earth. Where other movies of this sort force the protagonists into a fairly absurd struggle for mere living, there is always the possibility that the rest of the world is not infected (realized by Jim while talking to the sergeant and when he is about to completely give up hope and he sees the plane overhead). It is this ability for hope/heroism, while still maintaining the humor and gore of a typical b-movie that make this particular film so interesting to watch. Also, the segues between shots of the sky (where you can see the next shot in the upper left corner) fit really well with the movie and was quite brilliant. If you hate every zombie movie you've ever seen and aren't much for horror, odds are you will dislike this movie. However, if you've always been vaguely fascinated by zombie movies this is a truly innovative one.